New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson (appendix) will not play in the NFC Championship game on Sunday against the Rams after missing several practices this week while dealing with appendicitis, according to a source. He has been able to avoid surgery, but he won't be able to play in the big game. The veteran tight end has just two touchdowns on the year and hasn't been a very big part of the offense in what is expected to be his final season. With him out, Josh Hill should have a bigger role against a Rams team that has been vulnerable to tight ends this year. Hill will have some sleeper DFS appeal.

Updating a previous report, New Orleans Saints TE Benjamin Watson (illness) was limited during practice Friday, Jan. 18, and is listed as questionable for the NFC Championship game.

Fantasy Spin: Watson is not expected to play in the game, but owners should check the inactive list for his official status. He will not be a big factor in the passing game if he plays and can be avoided in all leagues.

Jan 18 4:03pm ET

New Orleans Saints TE Benjamin Watson (illness) will not play in the NFC Championship game because he is dealing with appendicitis, according to a source. Watson has avoided surgery at this point.

Fantasy Spin: Josh Hill likely will receive the starting job with Watson sidelined but will not be a big part of the passing game. Hill can be avoided in fantasy leagues.

Fantasy Spin: Watson probably can still play even if he does not practice this week, but people will know more about his status in the next few days. He is not a big part of the passing game and can be avoided in fantasy leagues.

Fantasy Spin: Watson has been held to one catch in five of the last seven games and is not a big part of the passing game. He probably should be avoided in all fantasy leagues this week.

Jan 13 9:03pm ET

New Orleans Saints TE Benjamin Watson finished with one catch for 12 yards in a 20-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round Sunday, Jan. 13.

Fantasy Spin: It was the fifth time in the last seven games that Watson has been held to one catch or less, and he hasn't reached 30 yards in any game during that stretch. The Saints will face the Rams in the conference title game, and while Watson managed 62 yards and a score against them in Week 9, he is no more than a Hail Mary play in fantasy contests given his current role in the offense.

Dec 27 6:00pm ET

New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson said he plans to retire after this season. The 38-year-old is in his 15th season and is hoping to ride off into the sunset if the Saints can make a Super Bowl run this year. He has 33 catches (43 targets) for 371 yards and two touchdowns on the season. Watson has just five catches for 58 yards in the last four games and is more of a TE2 at this point. He may be rested in Week 17 against the Panthers as well.

New Orleans Saints TE Benjamin Watson said he is planning to retire following the 2018 season.

Fantasy Spin: Watson has survived through 14 years in the NFL with four teams while winning a Super Bowl. His absence will pave the way for more fantasy relevance for Josh Hill, although the Saints could draft someone at the position.

Dec 18 2:13am ET

New Orleans Saints TE Benjamin Watson was limited to just one catch on two targets for 28 yards in the team's Week 15 win Monday, Dec. 17, against the Carolina Panthers.

Fantasy Spin: This type of line has become par for the course for Watson, who hasn't even reached 30 yards since the beginning of November. As a result, he can't be trusted in any formats for fantasy postseason matchups.

Dec 6 4:50pm ET

New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson is having a quiet season heading into Week 14 with 28 receptions for 313 yards and two touchdowns. Watson only has five catches for 83 yards over his last three games but will take on a poor Buccaneers defense that is allowing the fourth most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Tampa Bay has allowed 11 different tight ends to post seven-plus fantasy points against them and each of those tight ends posted at least 40 receiving yards. Fantasy owners desperate for help at tight end could spot-start Watson in Week 14 with such a favorable matchup. Watson is set up to post a modest fantasy stat-line against the Buccaneers.

New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson plays in a high-powered offense but has been wildly inconsistent this season. Watson has only two catches for 21 yards over his last two games but will take on a Cowboys defense that is allowing the 14th most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Dallas has allowed four touchdowns over their last four games and Watson could benefit if the Saints decide to exploit that. Watson will be a risky, touchdown-dependent option for Week 13 but fantasy owners that are desperate could give the veteran tight end a look.

New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson caught one pass for only 20 yards in the Saints 31-17 win over the Falcons. The Saints posted only 171 yards of offense in the air but Watson continues to disappear in the vertical attack. Watson has now caught only two passes over the last three games and only 28 receptions on the season despite playing in a high-powered offense. The veteran tight end is a capable player but his involvement in the offense is highly volatile and not worth a fantasy roster spot moving forward.

New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson will continue his up-and-down season Thanksgiving night against the Falcons. The veteran has chipped in with some nice plays at times this season but has completely disappeared from games. He will be hard to trust against a Falcons defense that is allowing the 12th fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Watson caught five passes for 71 yards against the Falcons in Week 3 but it is impossible to guess whether he will see any targets in the game. There are better options out there than trusting Watson in Week 12 fantasy lineups.

New Orleans Saints TE Benjamin Watson had just one catch for one yard on two targets in Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Fantasy Spin: Watson was expected to see a higher volume of work with Cameron Meredith and newly-signed Dez Bryant hitting the IR, but he did nothing as Dan Arnold outperformed him. Treat Watson as more of a TE2 heading into Week 11 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Nov 8 3:50pm ET

New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson will have plenty of sleeper value heading into the team's Week 10 matchup against the Bengals. Watson is enjoying one of his best stretches of the season, racking up 62 receiving yards last week and has touchdown catches in each of his last two games. He will go up against a Bengals defense that is allowing the third most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. Since Week 4, the Bengals have allowed five different tight ends to post eight or more fantasy points, including three in the last two weeks. Watson is an excellent sleeper play in Week 10.

New Orleans Saints TE Benjamin Watson registered three grabs for 62 yards and a touchdown in the Week 9 shootout against the Los Angeles Rams.

Fantasy Spin: Watson has found the end zone in two of the past three outings and he remains a decent low-end TE1 in deeper fantasy leagues heading into Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Nov 4 9:30pm ET

New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson caught three passes for 62 yards, including a touchdown, in the Saints 45-35 win over the Rams. Watson's targets have been wildly inconsistent this season but he was able to get involved in the action against the Rams. He hauled in a pass for a nice 32-yard gain and then caught a beautiful, arching floater from quarterback Drew Brees for his second touchdown catch in his last two games. Despite posting his best stat-line of the season, the veteran tight end will be only a matchup-based fantasy option heading into Week 10.

New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson will try and bounce back from failing to record a catch in the Saints Week 8 win over the Vikings. Watson is not high in the Saints pecking order of passing weapons for quarterback Drew Brees but has come down with some big-time catches at times this season. For the season, Watson has 23 catches for 230 yards with one touchdown and will go up against a Rams defense that is allowing the 10th most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Those numbers, however, are skewed by the Raiders Jared Cook posting 180 yards against them in Week 1 and the Rams have allowed only one touchdown to tight ends this season. Watson would be a desperate play in fantasy this week against the Rams and would need a touchdown to post a solid stat-line in Week 9.